Hands down! We can all agree that period cramps can be a distortion to a very beautiful day, not just because of the pain, but also because of how uncomfortable it can make you feel. In this article, you will come to know what is period cramps/pain, what are the types, and how to deal with that. We will give you some useful tips on how to stop period cramps at school or the workplace. Continue reading to know more about why do period cramps hurt so much.
Having to deal with cramps can be somewhat overwhelming especially outside the comfort of your home or apartment. This would mean you wouldn’t be able to do whatever you do to feel better. Cramps may worry some school-going girls, they don’t even have an idea about how to stop period cramps at school.
Have you ever wondered, what causes the period pain in the first place?
Without further ado let’s dive right in how to deal with this situation and save your day from being stolen from you.
What Is A Period Cramp And Why Period Cramps Hurt?
Prostaglandins are the primary reason why period cramps hurt. These prostaglandins have hormone-like effects that make your mood swing during your period.
Cramps come about to women by chemical substances called prostaglandins. When the female body produces these chemicals, the muscles of the uterus begin to experience some sort of contraction. This, in turn, frees blood through the vagina during her menstrual period.
As the ladies have different body types so does their experience vary, while some experience more pain and the period stretches to 5 days, others experience little or no pain and their period lasts for lesser days.
In all, this menstrual period occurs once a month, in some rare cases a girl can skip a month.
If that’s clear enough let’s continue.
What Are The PMS Symptoms?
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability and
- Tension
are some of the common PMS symptoms. In such situations, medical experts use drips to treat such patients. These drips are sometimes called intravenous fluids. The drip contains vitamin boost and other ingredients that directly to your blood. This drip helps relax your muscles thereby reducing the pain.
Period pains are not the same type as the symptoms experienced due to PMS, although the symptoms of both disorders can sometimes be experienced together.
How To Stop Period Cramps At School Or Workplace?
According to a study up to 20% of women suffers from cramping, dreadful enough to interfere with their daily activities. Severely increased blood flow is a type of period pain which is terrible to bear.
What do you do when that excruciating pain hits you at work or in school? We have got a few suggestions for you, let’s run through them.
1. Eating Foods Rich In Vitamins
Also as said before the same things might not work for everybody, but with eating foods rich in vitamins one can never be wrong as vitamins help boost your immune system.
So, whether as a body booster or as a period pain solution, vitamins are what your body needs.
What vitamin does against period cramps is that it helps your body build a resistance against the pain. Although some say that they lose their appetite during their periods. Instead of wondering why do period cramps hurt, eat lots of vitamins regularly or a week to your period.
I am sure that will help!
Foods to eat during your period
The below-listed foods are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Foods for period cramps that are high in vitamins include:
- Eggs
- Leafy greens
- Fish
- Peas
- Whole-grain foods
- and sweet potatoes to name a few.
Foods to avoid during your period
To deal with period cramps there are some foods you should strictly avoid. Dairy products, refined foods, and processed foods are a few.
2. Abdomen Massage To Your Rescue
This acts as an aid to severe period pains.
An easy to do option you should to start considering to reduce period cramp is an abdomen massage. This means taking 5-10 minutes to gently rub your abdomen. It has proven to help reduce cramp.
How this works is that just like drinking water, the blood flows better throughout the body relaxing your muscles. The oils contained in the massaging cream contain marjoram and other components that give a soothing relief to your body and reduce pain.
An example of such massaging cream is comfort’. It is easy to carry around and it is another element for your school or work bag during your period.
3. Drink A Lot Of Water
For the sake of your health, it is advisable to drink a lot of water. Health experts say that you should take at least 2 liters of water daily. Drinking water is the best way to stop period cramps. More so, during your period take much more water.
During your period, bloating of one’s belly is something that would likely happen. This can be reduced or prevented by drinking a lot of water. In your school or work bag water should be there.
Additionally, drinking a lot of water helps the blood flow better throughout the body which in turn relaxes your body muscles. The water can either be hot or cold but hot is preferable.
4. Do Light ExercisesÂ
Yes, I know how can one think about exercising when you are in so much pain. But research has shown that a little stretching can make your body feel a little more comfortable. Exercises can aid almost all types of period pain ranging from the lower back to stomach ache.
Examples of light stretching during your period include:
- Walking briskly.
- Doing a 10-15 minutes power nap or lying straight during your break time (although this may not always apply).
- Widening your legs and bending over.
- Do some yoga poses from your work desk.
This can be the answer to your question of how to stop period cramps at school or the workplace. Because it can be done by working in your school’s hallway or around your office workspace.
When you undergo such exercise you tend to break a sweat, in that time your body in return secrete endorphins which helps counter the chemical prostaglandins produced during your period.
5. Avoid High Sugar Foods
According to a study, it is found that women crave more sugar during their periods.
Well, at this point (period) sugar is not what you need. Although some people claim that if they take a reasonable amount of sugar the blood flows out faster and shortens their period days. This point is for people who aren’t like this.
Sugar serves as a basis for inflammation and you definitely don’t want that, because inflammation can lead to the inconvenience that you are trying to avoid. This simple sugar in this delicate time can cause fluid retention, headaches, and sleeplessness to name a few.
Additionally, high sugar intake causes the secretion of prostaglandins which leads to contracting of the uterus ultimately causing pain.
6. Apply Pressure On Your Belly With A Heating Bag
Some ladies have said that using a heating bag on their belly has reduced or stopped the pain. In fact, some say it is as effective as using a pain relief drug.
This is highly recommended because it replaces having a hot shower. Some schools or workplace makes provision for a bathroom in their facility for a bathroom. In cases where this isn’t available, a heating bag would definitely suffice.
The convenience of working work on how to use this without running your clothes is up to you to figure out. As a side note, you could replace the heating bag with a warm water bottle.
7. Say No To Caffeine To Stop Period Cramps At Work/School
Yes I know, you want your coffee but caffeine is absolutely bad news for your body. What it does is tighten the uterus which makes the cramp much more painful.
If you really need caffeine as an activity booster, you can simply take a snack that is highly rich in protein that would do the job, or take a 7-10 minutes stroll.
So, stay away from caffeine in that period.
8. Try To Take A Good Sleep In Day Time
Period cramps get worsen during the night.
- It is recommended to have a good sleep in the day time. Although it is not possible for working women, taking a power nap would be a smart call.
- And yes! Don’t forget to take care of your sleeping positions during the period.
9. Use A Pain Relieve Drug
As mentioned earlier, the effect of period cramp takes its toll on people different, while some don’t have so much pain others do. In all, a pain relief drug is exactly what you need in your school or work bag.
More so, whatever drug one decides to use you must ensure that they are prescribed by a doctor. Make sure the doctor is aware of any underlying health condition such as allergies, health history to avoid irritations and side effects.
Some examples of pain relief drugs you can use or have in your go-bag for school or work bag is ibuprofen, naproxen sodium. A dose of this drug would get you comfortable at work or school.
Disclaimer: Period pain is a quite common issue among women. But if you observe serious pain or have other medical history, consulting a doctor is always advisable.
Those points above were helpful, weren’t they? Hopefully, the above points have been able to give clarity on what to do and what not to do during your period. The above points can serve as your guide to get rid of your period pain.
FAQs About Period Cramps
Let’s quickly consider frequently asked questions about period cramps. This set of questions would put to rest whatever questions you must have. Let’s dive right in.
1. Does period cramp worsen by the month?
Well, there isn’t a proven fact that this happens, but the pain experienced during this is majorly determined how well you treated your body that month.
If you had stayed away from sugar, reduced caffeine, eaten a lot of vitamins then the menstrual pain is expected to reduce drastically.
2. When is my period pain severe and hurt so much?
Period pain or cramps generally starts 1 to 3 days before your period, becomes extreme for 24 to 48 hours, then eases gradually. There have been cases of women who experience excruciating pain during their periods.
According to a study it is found that painful, irregular, or heavy periods affect up to 14% of females in their childbearing years.
3. Is a painful period linked to your fertility level?
Although it hasn’t been proven that a painful period directly links to fertility or infertility, experts say that infertility can be a basis of the pain.
In all, for treating the pain associated with period cramp a medical expert is needed to give the green light on what to use and how to use it. Your body is very delicate and should be very treated with utmost care.
4. What is a prostaglandin and how does it affect cramp?
Have you ever thought why do period cramps hurt?
Well! Prostaglandin is the primary cause of period cramps. It is found in your body tissues in all parts of the body.
Apart from contracting the muscles of the uterus during menstruation thereby allowing blood flow through the vagina, it is also responsible for certain body functions such as cell growth, blood flow to name a few.
Concluding Thoughts
In conclusion, in this article, we have been able to explain what are period cramps and its type, highlighted, explained why do period cramps hurt.
By now you must have understood, what you can do to reduce pain and how you can stop cramps at work or school. We hope you have found this article helpful.
Following the guide and the tips explained in this article you don’t have to go through your day feeling uncomfortable and in so much pain.
Key Takeaways On How To Stop Period Cramps At School/Work
- Cramps come about to women by chemical called prostaglandins. It is the primary reason why periods hurt.
- Period pains are not the same type as the symptoms experienced due to PMS.
- Depending on body type, women experience different types of period pain. Some might have lower back pain, while others suffer from severe stomach pain or headache.
- Study shows that in 40% of women, period pain is accompanied by premenstrual symptoms. Such as bloating, tender breasts, swollen stomach, lack of concentration, mood swings, clumsiness, and tiredness.
- Excessive consumption of sugar, alcohol, refined food, caffeine, and junk foods can lead to severe cramps.
- Usually, period pain lasts up to one to three days.
- Light exercise, pressure on the belly with a heating bag, and abdomen massage are a natural way of getting rid of periods cramps.
- Period cramping is nothing to do with your fertility level.
Does your period cramps hurt so much? What are your ways to deal with period cramps? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Disclaimer: Period pain is a quite common issue among women. But if you observe serious pain or have other ailments, consulting a doctor is always advisable.
Thank you for reading!